For the record

Moseley-Braun confirmed Despite a continuing attack from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms, R-N.C., concerning alleged ethical lapses, the Senate voted 96-2 to confirm former Illinois Democratic Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun as ambassador to New Zealand. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, R-Ill., who defeated Ms. Moseley-Braun in her 1998 bid for re-election, cast the other negative vote, claiming that since voters had found her unqualified to serve again in the Senate, she shouldn't get the appointment. Though she may be sworn in sometime this week, she probably won't leave for New Zealand until after Thanksgiving. QUOTE OF THE WEEK "It's going to be real tough for McCoy to hang on. I'm not sure this is something you can manage your way out of." -- Chicago money manager Alan Wilson, on what the future holds for Bank One Corp. CEO John McCoy in light of last week's earnings news ALLSTATE CORP. Bowing to increasing pressure from lower-overhead rivals such as Ohio-based Progressive Corp. and Geico Corp. of Washington, D.C., the Northbrook-based insurer announced a "new business approach" in which it will begin selling car and home insurance directly to consumers through the Internet and over the phone. As part of the plan, Allstate will cut about 4,000 jobs, or roughly 10% of its staff, eliminating its force of company-employed insurance agents. Allstate said it will reduce current expenses by $600 million annually to fund the new venture, and that the job reductions are expected to be completed by the end of next year. UNITED HEALTHGROUP. In a move that was hailed as a revolutionary change in the way managed care companies monitor costs, the Minnesota-based health insurer -- whose United Healthcare of Illinois unit insures 900,000 Illinois residents -- announced a new policy that allows doctors to make medical decisions without first getting approval from the plan. AMERITECH CORP. Lawyers for several customers of the Chicago-based Baby Bell, whose acquisition by Texas-based SBC Communications Inc. became final last month, filed a lawsuit alleging that the deal violates federal antitrust law. The suit, which seeks class-action status, claims the deal deprives residential customers of the lower costs that competition would have brought them. PEOPLE. Answering speculation that he would enter the race for the 10th Congressional District seat being vacated by Republican John Porter, Merchandise Mart executive Christopher Kennedy, 38, said he will not run for the North Shore post. . . . Sara Lee Corp. Chairman and CEO John Bryan, 63, was named chairman of the Art Institute of Chicago's board of trustees. . . . James Dowdle, 65, said he will retire as executive vice-president of Chicago-based Tribune Co. at yearend. He'll be succeeded by Tribune Broadcasting Co. President Dennis FitzSimons, 49, who takes the title of executive vice-president of media operations. . . . Chicago Alderman Percy Giles (37th) became the sixth alderman to be convicted in the Operation Silver Shovel probe when he was found guilty on 13 counts of corruption. . . . Chicago's Sara Lee Corp. named Arthur Andersen managing partner Cary McMillan, 41, chief financial and administrative officer. He replaces Judith Spreiser, 46, who becomes CEO of the Sara Lee foods and food-service units. . . . Chicago-based Ha-Lo Industries Inc. named John Kelley, 38, president and CEO. The chief marketing officer of Ha-Lo and president of its Upshot subsidiary succeeds Lou Weisbach, 51, who remains chairman. ALBERTO-CULVER CO. The Melrose Park-based hair care products company named Euro RSCG Tatham Chicago as the creative agency for its Tresemme and other specialty brands, which previously were handled by Lois/EJL Chicago. Meanwhile, an Ohio judge refused Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co.'s attempt to bar one of its former marketing executives from serving as Alberto-Culver's new president of international operations. PEAPOD INC. In response to rumors that the company was out of cash, the Skokie-based online grocer said it has more than $15 million in cash and marketable securities available, an amount it says should fund its operating needs into the third quarter of next year. Peapod also announced it has retained investment banking firm Wasserstein Perella & Co. to help it obtain additional financing. ABBOTT LABORATORIES. The Federal Trade Commission is considering suing the North Chicago-based pharmaceutical company and two other drug companies over payments that allegedly delayed generic competition for Abbott's Hytrin hypertension drug. Meanwhile, with their record $100-million consent decree against Abbott's manufacturing plants behind them, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials shifted their focus to the company's pharmaceutical operations, news service Dickinson's FDA Webview reported. Separately, Abbott said its board adopted a "poison pill" plan to ward off hostile takeovers, fearing that New York-based Pfizer Inc.'s unsolicited bid for New Jersey-based Warner-Lambert Co. could spur more unfriendly offers in the industry. Later in the week, Abbott agreed to sell its agricultural products business to Sumitomo Chemical Co. of Tokyo. MORNINGSTAR INC. The Chicago-based mutual fund rater is planning to offer investment advice to retirement plans via the Internet next year through its newly formed Morningstar Associates LLC investment adviser. MONTGOMERY WARD CREDIT CORP. The Chicago-based finance arm of the Montgomery Ward's department store chain was sued by a customer who contends that the unit of Connecticut's General Electric Co. tricks customers into buying insurance covering their credit cards, then refuses to give full refunds when they learn the insurance isn't mandatory. ZENITH ELECTRONICS CORP. The Glenview-based TV maker got a judge's approval for a prenegotiated bankruptcy reorganization plan that makes the company a wholly owned unit of South Korea-based LG Electronics. DOMINICK'S FINER FOODS. The Chicago-area grocery chain, which was bought last year by California-based Safeway Inc., was threatened by a strike from the union representing nearly 11,000 local workers. Locals 881 and 1540 of the United Food and Commercial Workers said they oppose limits on time-and-a-half pay and sick days, as well as plans to use outside firms to stock shelves. The two sides were continuing to negotiate before today's strike deadline. DEALS. London-based BP Amoco plc agreed to transfer some of its U.S. accounting operations to PricewaterhouseCoopers in a 10-year, $1.1-billion agreement designed to reduce costs. The deal affects nearly 1,200 workers at the oil company's Chicago, Houston and Tulsa, Okla., offices. . . . Toronto-based Sears Canada, partly owned by Hoffman Estates-based retailer Sears, Roebuck and Co., will join forces with TransCanada Energy Ltd. to offer residential consumers in Ottawa natural gas service beginning next month. FACTORY CARD OUTLET CORP. Chicago investor Ron Chez said he is working with the management of the Naperville-based greeting card retailer, which in March filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and its new investment bankers in an effort to seek new capital. Mr. Chez, the largest shareholder of Factory Card Outlet, owns just over 1 million shares of the 7.3 million shares outstanding. TRIBUNE CO. The Chicago-based media company agreed to acquire the remaining interest in Los Angeles-based Qwest Broadcasting that it doesn't already own. Meanwhile, the company's Tribune Media Services unit reorganized its TV and movie information businesses and renamed the unit TMS Entertainment Products. IMC GLOBAL INC. The Northbrook-based fertilizer company said it will close four plants, cut jobs and reduce its phosphate fertilizer production capacity by more than 20%. Meanwhile, IMC and joint-venture partner Phosphate Resource Partners L.P. dropped their lawsuit against McMoRan Exploration Co. and four former directors of Freeport McMoRan Inc. HEARTLAND PARTNERS L.P. The Chicago-based real estate partnership sold more than three acres to Atlanta-based Home Depot Inc. to build a store in Kinzie Station, Heartland's new residential development in Chicago. ETC. Ford Motor Co. said it is considering building a manufacturing plant in Chicago or Atlanta that would employ at least 2,000 workers, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. . . . Venezuela-based oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. said it plans to sell its Lemont refinery as part of a review of its international assets. . . . Two developers -- Standard Power & Light Inc. of Oak Brook and Indeck Energy of Buffalo Grove -- are seeking to build power plants at a site near the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in DuPage County, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. . . . The city shut down the landmark Blackstone Hotel on Thursday, citing safety problems. Compiled from Bloomberg News reports and other sources.